Tandem bicycle



(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet l.

W. E. SMITH. TANDEM BICYCLE.

N0. 391,490 Patented Oct, 23, 1888.

I (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. I W. E. SMITH.

TANDEM BICYCLE No. 891,490. Patented Oct. 23, 1888.

N. PETERS PhnXmLill-wgmphnn wuhin iun. ac.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. E. SMITH.

TANDEM BICYCLE.

No. 391,490. Patented 0012.. 23, 1888.

8 I I f flllll' 2' PETERS. Phciwhlhogmphcn Washington, 070.

UNIT TAT-ES Price.

PATENT WILLIAM E. SMITH, OF WVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORTO THE SMITH CYCLE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLORADO.

TANDEM BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,490, dated October23,

Application filed February 16, 1888. Serial No. 264,188. (No model.) iv- T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SMITH, of 'Washington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain Improvements in Tandem Bicycles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The aim of this invention is to provide a tandem bicycle which shall beat once cheap, simple, easy to mount and readily steered; and to thisend it consistsin a machine having a main frame with two saddles, afront steering-wheel and a rear driving-wheel connected by chains withpedal-shafts located below the respective saddles.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 isaside elevation of the completemachine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. elevation on an enlargedscale, showing the manner of connecting the front handle-bar to theframe and the steering-rod. Fig. 4 is a crosssection on the line :0 w ofthe preceding figure. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the head orsteering-center of the steering-wheel on the line 3 y of Fig. 2. Fig. 6is a vertical section through the center of the steering-rod or shaftand its bearings on theline a z of Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are sideelevations showing in different forms the support for the forward seator saddle. Fig. 9 is a vertical axial section through the center of thedriving-wheel and the adjacent parts. Fig. 10 is an axial section on theline 1) e of Fig. 1 through the rear pedal-shafts and their bearings.Fig. 11 is a perspective View of the guard or fender for the rear wheel.Fig. 12 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 9, showing the brakemechanism connected with the rear wheel. Fig. 13 is a sectional view onthe same line through a small portion of the brake, showing the man nerin which the frictional material is secured to its surface. Fig. 1 1 isan outside face view of the disk by which the brake is operated. Fig. 15is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 10.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a rigid main frame; B, asteering-fork swiveled to the front of the frame; C,the steering-wheelmounted in said fork; D, the driving-wheel mounted in the rear forkedend of the main frame; E, the forward saddle; F, the rear saddle; G, theforward pedalshaft, and HH the rear pedal-shafts.

Fig. 3 is a side The main frame, which is preferably made of tubularmaterial throughout, has a forward neck, a, with a steering head orsocket at the front, as hereinafter described, and with the 5 two reararms, a, constituting jointlya fork to embrace the rear wheel and carryits bearings. From the main frame forward of the drivingwheel risesrigidly a tubular rod or post, (L to sustain the steeringshaft, and fromthe upper end of this post there extends rearwardly above the wheel arigid arm, a, to give support to the rear saddle, this arm beingsustained by arms a rising from the for'karms a.

Thesteeringshaft or rod Lextendiug through the tubular member a of theframe, is provlded at the upper end with a steering bar or handle, i, asusual, and is provided atitslower end with a cr0ss-head, 2', connectedat opposite ends by two rods, t"", on opposite sides of thesteering-fork, so that a turning motion of, the handle and its shaftcommunicates a corresponding swiveling motion to the steeringwheel. Theframe is extended at the front in order to advance the steering-wheelbeyond 7 5 the other parts, as shown, that there may be no interferencewith the skirts of a female rider occupying the front seat. The essenceof the invention in this regard resides in locating the wheel in advanceof the steering bar or shaft I and connecting the two in such mannerthat the one controls the other. While I prefer to make use of the rods2' for this purpose,it is to be understood that any equivalentconnection between the parts may be employed. 8 5

The forward saddle, E, is located in advance of the steering-shaft I,and supported adjustably but rigidly in position by connection with theframe, as hereinafter described. In order that its occupant may securelyretain her seat, 0 I provide a handle-bar, J, which, springing from apoint in rear of the saddle, extends forward in a curved line on eachside, its ends terminating in handles in suitable position to be graspedby the occupant of the saddle E. 5 Under ordinary circumstances thishandle-bar J is fixed rigidly in position, but provision is made forlooking it to the shaft I,so thatit may be used for steering purposeswhen the steering is to be effected by the occupant of the for- :00 wardseat. A suitable construction to this end is clearly shown in Figs. 1,3, and 4, in which it will be seen that the bar is supported by acontractile band or clip, j, encircling the steering-shaft and providedwith a tighteningscrew, j, the shaft being exposed for the admission ofthis clip at the proper point through an opening formed in the front ofthe tube of. When the clip j is tightened,the handle-bar is rigidlyconnected with and may be used as a means of turning the shaft I.

To hold the steering-bar rigidly in position when in use for steering, acontractile ring or clip, j is placed around the outside of the tube a,and notched at its forward end to engage a projecting portion of theclip. When it is required to fix the bar in position,the clip j isloosened, so that the steering-shaft may turn freely therein, and theclip j is moved downward into engagement with the clip j and thencontracted tightly upon the tube a", the effect being to lock thehandle-bar firmly to the stationary outside tube, or, in other words,the main frame. In place of this particular locking device any deviceits me chanical equivalent may be substituted, the essential feature ofthe invention residing in the provision of means by which the handlebarmay be locked to the frame or a steeringshaft, as occasion requires.

The forward seat may be connected to the frame by a suitable device; butin order to provide for its vertical and horizontal adj ustment Icommonly support it by a clip, 0, arranged to slide forward and backwardupon the upper horizontal end of an arm, 6, the other end of which isturned downward, as shown in Fig. 7, through a socket, e", located onthe side of the main frame and provided with a set-screw, e. The rearsaddle may also be supported on the frame by devices of any suitablecharacter; but I prefer to mount it on the upper end of a standard, f,passing through a socket, f, on the frame,and secured by a setscrew, fthat it may be adjusted vertically.

Referring now to the means for driving the wheel D, it will be observedthat the forward pedal-shaft, G, is mounted in bearings on the underside of the main frame forward of the driving-whee], and provided ateach end with a pedal-carrying crank, g, the pedals standingsubstantially below the saddle E, that they may be conveniently operatedby the feet of the occupant. The shaft G is provided with asprocket-whee1,g, fixed thereon, and this wheel is connected by a chain,9 to a sprocket-wheel, 9 formed upon or attached to the hub of thedriving-wheel, as shown in Fig. 9. As the rear pedals are locatedopposite the two sides of the wheel, so that they cannot be carried by asingle shaft, it is necessary to make use of the two short shafts H andH, located in line with each other on opposite sides of the wheel andcarried by bearings attached to the rear ends of the respective forkarmsa of the main frame. The shafts II and H are each provided at the outerend with a pedal-carrying crank, h, and provided at the inner end,inside of the supporting-arm a,

with a sprocket-wheel, it. Each sprocketwheel is connected by a chain,h, to a corresponding sprocket-wheel, k attached to or formed upon thehub of the driving-wheel.

While the three sprocket-wheels fh It may, as before stated, be attachedto the hub of the driving wheel, or attached to its axle, I stronglyrecommend the construction represented in Fig. 9, in which the hubs areflanged outward at the periphery to form thesprocketwheels. Thisconstruction not only simplifies the machine and reduces the cost, butpermits the parts to be brought together in more compact form than wouldotherwise be possible. The bearings of the rear shafts, H H, areprovided with split contractile clips h, (see Fig. 10,) which arecontracted and held in place by bolts h. This construction admits of thebearings being moved rearwardly in order to tighten the driving-chains,as may be demanded. The bearing of the forward shaft, G, is alsoconnected to the frame by a like clip, in order that it may be movedforward to control the tension of the chain 9 The two seats may bearranged in line with each other and directly over the vertical plane ofthe wheels; but I find it advantageous to arrange the seats, as shown inthe drawings, out of line with each other, one seat being set to theright and the other to the left, so that the rear rider, by whom themachine is ordinarily steered, may have an unobstructed view in aforward direction, and so, also, that conversation may be the morereadily carried on between the two riders. As shown in the drawings, theforward seat has its supportingstandard applied to the right side of themain frame, while the rear seat has its standard applied to the leftside; but a reverse arrangement may be employed. The pedals andpedal-shafts are set to the right and left to correspond to the positionof the seats. The three pedal-shafts, the steering-shaft, and thejournal or the steering center of the steeringfork are each supported inball-bearings, each bearing consisting of two parallel plates or ringshaving their opposing surfaces provided with annular grooves to receiveintermediate balls of hardened steel or equivalent material. Thesebearings are substantially identical with those described in myapplication, executed and filed of even date herewith, Serial No.264,187, and are not in themselves claimed as part of the presentinvention. Fig. 5 illustrates these hearings as applied to thesteering-fork; Fig. 6, the bearings as applied to the steering-shaft,and Figs. 9 and 10 the bearings as applied, respectively, to the frontand the rear pedal-shafts.

The forward shaft, G, is provided with two bearings-one at each end-thestationary members of the bearings being seated in the ends of a rigidtube forming part of the main frame, as described and claimed in myapplication above referred to. The rear shafts, H and II, are eachprovided with two bearings of similar construction. The sprocket-wheelswheel 9'.

construction shown in Figs. 10 and 15.

h on the inner ends of the rear shafts are made of dished or concaveform, as shown, this construction permitting their central portions andbearings to be carried inward close to the sides of the main wheel, sothat the width of the machine may be reduced.

For the purpose of protecting the skirts of the forward rider,I employashield, L, adapted to lit over and around the forward edge of the rearwheel, and constructed in the manner shown in Fig. 11. It consists of asemicircular strap, Z, overlying the top of the rear wheel,

and provided with side pieces, Z, lying opposite the two sides ofthewheel, these side pieces or guards being formed either of sheet metal,wire-gauze, or other appropriate light material. A guard-strap, Z iscarried longitudinally over the top of the driving chain and downwardaround and beneath the sprocket It is provided on the outerside with theshield or fender Z, perforated at Z", for the passage of the crank-shaftthereth rough. Two rearwardly-extending guard-straps, Z and Z, areadapted to overlie the rear driving-chains. The strap Z is attached tothe strap or guard 1, while the strap Z is attached to one of thevertical rear arms,a ,by a rod, Z having a clip at the top, as shown inFig. 11, to encircle said arm. The guardstraps Z and Z may also receivesupport from one of the vertical rear arms, a", of the main frame by aclip'arm, 1 thereon, and the rear end of the guard Z may be held inposition by straps Z, extending forward on opposite sides of the wheelto the upright arms of the frame. The manner in which the guard orshield, as a whole, is applied to the machine is plainly represented bydotted lines in Fig. 1.

In order to provide for the regulation of the tension of the reardriving-chains, I adopt the The sleeves h, which carry the rearpedal-shafts,are each provided with a transverse pin, h, passingtransversely through longitudinal slots in the arms a of the frame. Thispin passes inside of the frame through one end of an eyebolt, h, whichis extended rearward through a cap or plate on the rear end of the arma, and provided with a nut, If", by means of which the clip h" and thepitman-shaft sustained thereby may be turned rearward to increase thetension of the chain.

The machine may be provided with a brake of any suitable construction;but I commonly employ, and I recommendthe use of, a brake mechanism ofthe peculiar construction represented in Figs. 9 and 10, in which itwill be seen that the double sprocket-wheel on the driving-wheel isturned out internally to a true circular form, so as to produce a smoothfrictional surface. Inside of this wheel I fix rigidly upon one of thebearing-sleeves which surrounds the stationary axle, or upon any othersupport by which it may beheld rigidly in position, a friction-brake, M,consisting of a central hub, at, having on opposite sides radial armsm,from each of which an arm, m is curved backward in a line concentricor substantially concentric with the hub. These arms are faced on theouter side with rawhide or other equivalent materiahmiintended to bearwith frictional effect on the inside of the sprocket-wheel. The arms mare provided at the outer or free end with a transverse eccentric slot,111*, these slots receiving studs m which project inward from the faceof a plate, m, having a slight rotary motion around the axle or othersupport. This plate is connected at one edge to an operating-rod, mwhich is in turn connected, as shown in Fig. 1, through elbow-lever in,rod m, elbowlever m,and rod m, to the hand-lever m, pivoted on thehandlebar. hen the lever m is pulled upward at its free end, it actsthrough the intermediate parts to turn the plate m in the directionindicated by the arrow, causing the studs to traverse the eccentricslots of the brake and force the brakearms at" outward against the innersurface of the sprocket-wheel.

\Vhile I prefer to retain the particular connections shown between thebrake-operating plate m and the hand-lever m, it is to be understoodthat any equivalent device for communicating motion from one to theother may be employed.

The brake M is commonly cast or forged complete in one piece; but itsparts may be separately constructed and rigidly united in any suitablemanner. \Vhile it is preferred to use the facing m", and secure thesameby means of countersunk screws, as shown, it

,may be omitted and the brake-arms allowed to act directly on the insideside of the sprocket wheel or hub.

The hub of the drivingwheel may be of any ordinary construction; butwhen the two sprocket-wheels are used on opposite sides, as shown, Iform the hub, as shown in Fig. 9, with annular flanges, which areseated-in the grooves in the inner edges of the respectivesprocketwheels and brazed or otherwise fastened in place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a tandembicycle, a rigid main frame, the rear driving-wheel therein, the frontsteering-wheel and its fork swiveled thereto, the two seats located onthe main frame, the steering-shaft located between the seats andsuitably connected with the front wheel, the front and rear pedal-shaftsmounted in bearings on the frame, and the sprocket-wheels and chainsconnecting said shafts with the rear wheels, said elements combinedsubstantially as described and shown.

2. In afront-steering rear-drivingtandem bi.- cycle, the main frame andthe two seats thereon, in combination with the driving-wheel mountedtherein, the shaft mounted in front of said wheel and provided with twopedals, the two rear shafts mounted on opposite sides of the wheel andeach provided with a pedal-shaft, and the sprocket-wheels and chainsconnect- IOO ing the three shafts with the driving-wheel, as described.

3. In a tandem bicycle having a rear driving and a front steering wheeland two seats upon the frame, one in advance of the other, thesteering-shaft mounted in the main frame between the two seats, itsupper end provided with a steering-handle and its lower end suitablyconnected with the front wheel, substantially as described and shown.

4. In a tandem bicycle, the combination of a main frame with two'seatsflXGd thereon, a rear drivingwheel, a front steering wheel, asteeringshaft located between the seats and suitably connected at itslower end with the steeringwheel, and two steering bars or handlesattached directly to and suspended by said shaft and terminating,respectively, adjacent to the front and the rear seats, whereby thesteering of the machine may be effected by either or both riders.

5. Inabicyclehavingthetwoseats,onein advance of the other, thesteering-shaft provided with the rigid steeringbar adjacent to the rearside, the second steering-handle terminating at points adjacent to thefront seat, and devices, substantially as shown, whereby the frontsteering-bar may be locked to the frame or to the steeringshaft at will;

6. In combination with the steering-shaft I and its support a", thesteering bar J, the adjustable clip j, connecting the same with thesteering-shaft, and the locking sleeve or collar j". i

7. In a bicycle or analogous machine, the main frame and therear-driving-wheel therein, the front steering-wheel,thesteering-shaft,and its handle-bar for controlling the front wheel, incombination with the expansible brake acting within the side of thedriving-wheel, and the brake-expanding devices connected with the leveron the :steering-handle, whereby the operator is enabled whilecontrollingthe front wheel by said handle to operate the brake withinthe rear Wheel.

8. In a bicycle or analogous machine, the

combination of the groundwheel having the internally-recessed hub orsprocket-wheel at its side, the brake lVI,witl1 its adjustable armslocated within said hub, and the rotary plate m, having studs orprojections to urge the brake-arms outward.

9. In a bicycle or analogous machine having a tubular mainframe arm, a,the collar h, a sprocket-wheel shaft supported by said collar, thetransverse pin h, and the adjusting-bolt connected to said pin withinthe arm a, and extended rearward and provided with an adj listing-nut,substantially as described.

10. In combination with a tubular mainframe arm, a, and a shaft-support,h mounted movably thereon, an adjusting-bolt located within the tubulararm, one end extended to the movable bearing or shaft-support and theother end extended beyond the arm, that it may be adjusted to effect themovement of the collar.

11. In a tandem bicycle, a main frame, a rear driving-wheel, a frontsteering-wheel located in line or substantially in line therewith, twoseats located one in advance of the other on opposite sides of the planeof the wheels, pedal-shafts mounted on the main frame below therespective seats and offset laterally to correspond with thelocation ofthe seats, and sprocket-wheels and chains connecting said shafts withthe rear wheel.

12. In a tandem bicycle having a main frame and two ground-wheelslocated in line or substantially in line with each other, two seatslocated one in advance of the other on opposite sides of the rear wheel,and pedalshafts located beneath the respective seats and suitablyconnected with the driving-wheel.

In testimony whereofIhereunto set my hand, this 11th day of February,1888, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

WILLIAM E. SMITH.

\Vitn esses:

F. T. CHAPMAN, W. R. KENNEDY.

